John Zweifler, MD, MPH
John Zweifler, MD, MPH is a board-certified family physician with more than 30 years of experience in medical leadership and education, as well as clinical practice caring for rural and underserved populations. He is the author of the recently released, “Tipping Health Care 2026”, as well as “Management for Nerds” both available on Amazon.
Debates over health care costs shut down the federal government. “Tipping Health Care 2026” explains what we can do about it while providing thoughtful, constructive solutions. “Tipping Health Care 2026” addresses recent events including the groundswell of animosity towards managed care that emerged after the killing of a United Health Care executive, the fallout from Trump 2 health care policies restricting access to care for the most vulnerable in society, and the potential impact of AI on access and health care more generally. Check out his take on the 2025 Budget Bill, “Medicaid Cuts Come With High Costs” https://bsths.medium.com/medicaid-cuts-come-with-high-costs-00c4335410ba
His book, “Management for Nerds” has a different tenor. It weaves irreverent reflections on his own career with admonishments over administrative strategies to colorfully illustrate the strategic choices we make in our personal and professional lives.
Dr Zweifler, or Dr Z as he has been called on more than one occasion, is a Medical Consultant with the Fresno County Health Department where he assists in implementing practical policies that advance population health approaches to improving the health of communities and reducing health disparities by systematically addressing social drivers of health (SDOH) with an added focus on justice involved individuals. He also provides cost-effective telehealth Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for individuals with substance use in conjunction with the San Joaquin Valley Free Medical Clinic and Needle Exchange (SJVFMCNE), and precepts family medicine residents in a community-based primary care setting.
Dr Zweifler’s background includes a number of leadership roles in medical education and clinical management. He was formerly the Designated Institution Official and Medical Director for Clinical Integration and Graduate Medical Education for Adventist Health Hanford, and prior to that was Chief of UCSF-Fresno's Family and Community Medicine Department and Director of it’s residency program for 15 years.
Dr Zweifler has volunteered and worked for decades with the SJVFMCNE. He has successfully applied for grants that fund his current work providing low barrier access to medication assisted treatment for individuals with substance use disorders that incorporates telehealth and team-based approaches utilizing community health workers to address SDOH.
Dr Zweifler has a long-standing interest and expertise in health care delivery and policy. He has been a medical director for multiple organizations in varying settings including Central Valley Medical Providers, an IPA in Fresno County where he championed value-based approaches that improved quality and reduced cost by emphasizing team-based approaches and digital solutions that increased access for patients, supported transitions of care and promoted patient and provider satisfaction, as well as Regional Medical Director for Adventist Health Plan in Kings County, where he guided reductions in admissions of 5-10% per year and readmissions 10-20% year, while going from "worst to first" in HEDIS quality scores amongst Healthnet MediCal managed care plans in California. He also served as Chief Medical Officer for Adventist Health Community Care and its 40 rural health clinics and more than 600,000 annual patient visits in Fresno, Kern, and Tulare Counties, Deputy Medical Executive for the California Department of Corrections, and medical director for several community health centers in Michigan and California.
